ImaginationGYM & Activity Therapy for Older People

 

The ImaginationGYM methodology has been modified to suit ‘Activity Therapy for Older People’ programmes in elder care homes. These modifications were brought about by working directly with staff and residents in the elder care environment. The basic ImaginationGYM methodology is focused on imagination exercises, creative activities and a set of rules and principles in the way that the methodology is implemented. The imagination exercises are audio based and designed to stimulate the listener in multiple ways. Not everybody is stimulated in the same way because everybody is different but the multiple layers designed into the exercises usually provide some sort of positive stimulation for everybody. This has also proven to be the case in elder care homes.

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Combining Relaxation, Imagination & Activities

The activities are designed to encourage participants in the practice of bringing ideas generated in the imaginative state into the real world in practical activities such as drawing, writing, digital media output, etc. It is this area that most modifications have been made to suit the diversity amongst residents and their individual requirements. When participants are coming from a relaxed imaginative state very often the creative output can be enhanced or in more difficult circumstanes responses can improve.

 

Flexibile Methodology

The methodology is seldom used on a standalone basis as it is designed to fit in with existing systems in a wide range of environments. Typically the methodology is used in schools as part of the curricula, special needs education, community, health and business creativity programmes. In this regard other common activity therapies used in elder care, have been interwoven into the methodology as used in elder care, for example, basic massage therapy.

 

Long Term Sustainability

In most cases the methodology is self sustaining in that staff responsible for activity therapies can be trained to be self sufficient with occasional ongoing support which is provided free of charge. This training is normally delivered in three sessions over a period of months. The first session is to allow staff to experience the methodology being used in their own environment with selected residents. This allows staff to assess the programme and can be just one session or multiple sessions depending on a particular home’s requirement. We will discuss this with the care facility in more detail before commencing a programme. Given that the methodology is deemed successful we will then provide in or out training for staff selected by the care facility management. Our experience has shown that this can be funded directly by the home, through fund raising support groups and government or health care subsidies. The only other costs are supply materials which are extremely cost effective on a per ca-pita basis.